[bbay]

Ok. I've done a bit of reading on-line, but here's the scoop:

I drink red wine. Maybe too much. I can rarely finish the two bottles I buy for the night.

After a day or two sitting, those half bottles look un-appetizing/un-appealing so they kinda get pushed to the back counter area. I cook at work, not so much at home, so there they sit.

Probably got the equivalent of four full bottles right now. Mostly zin; I'm on a kick.

Cutting to the chase, has anyone here made vinegar out of these dregs without buying/making a mother? The easiest recipe I found was wine refuse combined with some Braggs flotsam.

I've read plenty of recipes that start with a mother. I've been told that it's tricky to make homemade vinegar.

I'm not convinced.

[Mapiva]

I've been wanting to make some myself. My Mother makes her own with left over red wine. She puts a half cup of red wine vinegar into the wine, then lets it sit until it sours.

[Luc_H]

HI BBay,

I have asked myself the same question and I found one possible way. I have successfully converted some wine to vinegar this way. Here is how I did it but I am not giving you any guarantees. Making vinegar this way was an experiment.

Aceto bacteria, vinegar making bacteria, live on grapevines. Another microorganism that live on grapevine is yeast. The vine is host to wine making and vinegar making microorganism... cool!

I collected some dried twigs from my vine in the fall. Cut and tied some small twigs together as if I was making a herb bouquet for soup. I transferred some wine in a large and wide bottle only half full. At this point you should closed the bottle and shake vigorously to the point of foaming up the wine. This will aerate the wine. Aceto bacteria require oxygen to work. Next, hang the twigs in the bottle so they steep in the wine for one day. Tie a piece of cheese cloth around the opening to keep air coming in but not bugs (I use an elastic that holds the cheese cloth around the mouth as well as the twine that hangs the twigs).
Next day, take out the twigs and shake the wine vigorously. Add the twigs again. cover with cheese cloth. Do this for one week.
After one week, add new wine, shake vigorously and cover with cheese cloth.
After a month of so, you should start smelling the sourness meaning your culture is active and ready to accept new wine. For then on, shake the wine before adding it to the culture (no need to shake the culture)

It worked! Since I don't use wine vinegar that much nor have alot of left over wine, I don not have a culture anymore. I was thinking of trying it again this fall just because I like to experiment.

Luc H.

[Dirk Skene]

The quickest way to get started is simply to buy some red wine mother. I'd get a gallon jar, loose fitting lid. drop in the mother, add 8-10 oz of good redwine vin. Then add the leftover red wine. Be patient.

O' you will get small vinigar flies about twice a year. May want to get some bug strips.

If you are a home wine maker, move the operation to another part of the house.

[Luc_H]

I answered this question intentionally without mentioning a mother which is what was asked.

Luc H.

[EndlessWinter77]

Well ive never made vinegar intentionally, but ive found that if air is allowed to get into the wine, it will eventually turn into vinegar. Ive discovered this in bottles with loose corks and then used the vinegar and it was fine.